Box Score | Season Stats | 2019-20 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Omaha 78 - Oral Roberts 81 (OT)
Record: UNO (12-14, 5-6 SL) – ORU (13-12, 6-6 SL)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
TULSA, Okla. – Kevin Obanor's 24-point, 16-rebound performance guided the Oral Roberts men's basketball team to an 81-78 overtime victory over Omaha Wednesday night at the Mabee Center.
Senior Deondre Burns scored eight of the Golden Eagles' 12 points in the extra period securing a critical home win in The Summit League standings moving ORU to sole possession of fourth place.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the paint as the two teams combined for 80 points down low, 40 each, and the Golden Eagles held an 11-point advantage in the second half, but needed to score the final five points in regulation to force their first overtime contest of the season.
Obanor drilled an early triple putting the Golden Eagles in front, 5-4, but the Mavericks answered by scoring the next eight points in a span of 3:45 taking a 14-5 advantage. ORU shook off the run and used a 9-2 stretch of its own to even the score, 14-14.
The half would continue in a tight affair featuring 10 tie scores and eight lead changes as neither side would give an inch to the league foe. R.J. Fuqua dropped in the final bucket of the frame to push the Golden Eagles to a tie at halftime, 35-35.
ORU came out of the second half and quickly took a 40-39 lead as Francis Lacis knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night. After Omaha erased the deficit, the Golden Eagles took control of the frame building an 11-point cushion behind a 12-0 scoring run capped on an Emmanuel Nzekwesi layup.
The Mavericks would not go away quietly tallying the next 11 points to even the score, 54-54, and extended their run to 18-3 covering more than eight minutes of action for a 61-57 edge. Omaha stretched the margin to five with less than five minutes to play, but ORU used two separate 5-0 pushes, including a late, clutch 3-pointer from Sam Kearns, to get the deadlock, 69-69, heading into overtime.
Burns scored six of the team's opening eight points in the final period as the Golden Eagles moved in front by as many as four before holding off a late charge to win, 81-78.
Turning Point
ORU held the Mavericks scoreless over the final 99 seconds of regulation, while scoring a 5-0 run to push the game into overtime. In the extra period, the Golden Eagles continued the momentum and never trailed as Burns starting the scoring and broke a brief tie helping close out the home victory.
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obanor was a force for the Golden Eagles on both ends of the floor recording the 13th double-double of his tenure behind a game-high 24 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and added two blocks.
Omaha: Matt Pile led five Mavericks in double-figure scoring with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double shooting 80 percent from the floor.
Inside the Box Score
- Obanor posted 20 or more points for the second-consecutive game dominating the interior. The redshirt sophomore shot 8-of-14 overall to pace the offense. He totaled the most rebounds of his ORU career (16), including six on the offensive glass, completing his sixth double-double of the season.
- Burns took over the extra period posting eight of his 18 points in the final five minutes hitting 3-of-4 shot attempts and a pair of free throws. He converted 7-of-10 efforts from inside the arc over the course of the game playing a team-leading 39:28.
- Nzekwesi reached double-figure scoring for the 18th time in 19 games played this season putting up 13 points to go with seven rebounds, while Lacis chipped in eight points. With his 13 points, Nzekwesi moved past Damen Bell-Holter for 13th place on ORU's all-time scoring list at 1,393 career points.
- Three different ORU players registered at least four assists on the night as Burns and Fuqua tallied five each and Max Abmas added a career-best four. The trio turned the ball over only twice compared to 14 combined assists.
- The Golden Eagles tallied seven offensive rebounds in the first half on their way to 11 for the contest. Those boards led to 13 second-chance points for ORU.
News and Notes
- The Golden Eagles played their first overtime game since Feb. 8, 2018 against North Dakota State and improved to 15-13 all-time in overtime games played at home. ORU also moved to 10-1 in home games this season.
- ORU converted 7-of-8 free throw tries in the last five minutes of regulation and extra time shooting 83 percent for the night (15-of-18).
- The Golden Eagles committed just five turnovers in the game matching their lowest effort of the season after having five against Southwestern Christian Nov. 25. The +12 assist to turnover margin is the largest this year.
Up Next
ORU continues its short homestand Saturday night welcoming the Coyotes of South Dakota for a 7 p.m. showdown on ESPN3. ORU Athletics also is hosting Teacher Appreciation Night as local area teachers and staff members can get up to two free tickets by showing school ID in the North Lobby of the Mabee Center.
For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on Twitter or Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics Front Row App at ORUAthletics.com/frontrow or the ORU Golden Eagles Live App in iTunes or the Google Play Store. For tickets, visit mabeecenter.com or call 495-7ORU (7678).
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